Only two days before the festival! I've been working around the clock like a crazed artist (which I suppose I am), but when I behold the round table of completed, one-of-a-kind jewelry characters I designed and crafted, all I can think of is how there simply aren't enough of them. If only I could hire 50 elves to help out in my studio! Or if I had sixteen hands, or the ability to alter time, or create at warp speed. I can't imagine where I'd be if it weren't for my parents, who have continued to volunteer hours of enthusiastic support. My husband has also pitched in with bead sealing and food preparation. My son has found his niche in sanding. And my brother, who joined the crew yesterday, is a jack of all trades. He learns fast and spent the hours sanding, sealing, stringing, and modeling, as you can see from the photo to the left. He also jumpstarted his own Damejoyas marketing campaign to get the word out to his friends. I am grateful. I must also thank my Aunt Joyce, who so diligently spread the word about Damejoyas on facebook.
There are three things I have learned during this part of the journey:
1) Having faith in God has the power to eliminate the stress factor. If I were doing this without him, I would have had a mental breakdown by now, instead of experiencing this calm that allows me to continue to be productive.
2) Quality is ALWAYS superior to quantity. If I don't make the big numbers by Thursday night, I will still have peace of mind because I know that what I do bring to the table will be wearable art that I am proud to share with the world.
3) I'm doing EXACTLY what I need to be doing: Creating. I deeply enjoy the process of hand-forming my own beads (the Lala Beads are already a hit) and pendants, and visualizing how pieces will need to come together in a Damesque sort of way.
I must get back to work, but here's another peek at what I'm doing:
